"Legal Research: the proper way to find & Understand the Law " by lawyer Stephen Elias and the Editors of Nolo is another book in the big legal library released by Nolo, a publisher that is proud of making the law accessible to everybody. I am a solicitor, and I like the books put out by Nolo

, particularly the ones on areas I am not as acquainted with, but need a little understanding. Nolo always delivers. Not everybody can afford Lexis or Westlaw; the 2 largest customers based online legal resources. In Law College we had access to both, because both firms wished to earn your commitment for when you were given out and started practicing.

Many firms have either, and I suspect enormous firms may subscribe to both. Even with access to one of those, I find that I am able to often find things quicker and less complicated with free resources. Many states have principles and such online nowadays. More are beginning to become available all of the time. That is where the book "Legal Research” comes in. It provides easily followed research methods to help answer your legal questions. The book has sections for online research as well as info re law libraries for those that have accessibility to one. The book is composed of 386 pages divided among 10 info packed chapters.
The chapters include:

* Understanding the fundamentals of the Law: Short overviews of what the law is, sources of law, state versus Fed. Law and the court system. Too basic for a lawyer but for the man in the street the book was written for, this is a good introduction.

* Finding Legal Resources: This chapter explains where legal info is found, first and secondary sources, net resources for legal subjects, and legal research internet sites. It includes Lexis and Westlaw, but also there are other free sites. I admire the tips and warnings thru out the book also. Good caution that not each opinion you find is good law. Clear to someone that had it drilled into them during Law College, but doubtless not known to several laypeople.

* Identifying Your Legal Issue: Things to know before you go looking, like in the case civil or criminal, understanding the area of law you need to research, what resources will assist you with what you have to find, and working out your legal research question. This is significant, you would like to know what you are actually attempting to find before going searching.

* Finding and Using Secondary Sources: This chapter explores sources like online resources (including a bit about deciding if trustworthy), self-guidance legal books, legal encyclopedias, form books, practice manuals, continuing legal education publications, law reviews, and the like. Many legal corporations will have a large amount of these sorts of resources, and you'll find much more at a law library. This chapter gives a short helicopter view of what these sources are.

Overall, I believe this book might be extraordinarily valuable for the person that needs or wants to do legal research but doesn't know where to begin. If you're compelled to do it yourself, this guide can lead the way. It's a superb outline of the legal research process for those without a law degree.